US officials have begun shutting the Southern border in response to the Central American exodus causing hundreds of refugees and migrants to flee.

The majority of the first asylum seekers to arrive at the border on Tuesday identified as transgender, raising concerns for LGBTI safety and rights.

The continued discrimination and violence Central American LGBTI refugees face when seeking asylum in the US has been highlighted by Amnesty International, saying thousands have been killed or disappeared along the route north.

Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister said the country will do all it can to ensure there are no conflicts between Australia and China during the APEC summit, amid tensions between the two countries over influence in the Pacific.  

This came after China this week warned of a ‘Cold War mentality’ in an apparent reference to Australia’s pledge to increase its influence in the region.

The PNG Government maintains its wish to stay out of the geopolitics threatening to engulf it.

Victorian Labor is promising free pads and tampons in state schools to manage possible embarrassment and help with the cost of living.

All Victorian state schools will supposedly have the hygiene products in female, unisex, and accessible bathrooms from term three next year.

Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the program will be an Australian first.

A young apprentice died in a Melbourne factory last month just minutes after a Victorian WorkSafe inspector finished a safety visit at the site.

Dillon Wu is believed to have suffocated while working alone inside a large metal tank at the Marshall Lethlean transport tanker factory in Melbourne's outer east on October 4.

A WorkSafe report from the same day shows an inspector was on site at Marshall Lethlean from 8:00am to 9:45am, and the 20-year-old died at around 10am.

A 17-year-old boy was detained in a remote Queensland police station for 11 days, while more than 40 other children are being held for undetermined periods in police custody because there is no room in the state’s youth detention system.

After 11 days in police custody at the Mount Isa watch house, the boy faced court on Tuesday and was released on a community-based order.

Australia’s first tool library operating out of a public library will allow members to borrow power tools and household items.

The Brisbane Tool Library is based out of the State Library of Queensland and is run like a normal library, except for an annual membership fee.

Library coordinator Samantha Wigman said sharing tools saves money, space, and the environment, and is proving popular with the community.

A lawyer representing a proposed class action says Indigenous women were coerced into sterilisation without proper and informed consent.

Following an independent review in January 2017, the Saskatoon Health Region apologised for the past forced sterilisation of Indigenous women.

At least 60 Indigenous women are pursuing a class-action lawsuit, alleging they were forced into sterilisation over the past 20 to 25 years in Saskatchewan.

Astronomers say they have detected compelling evidence of an alien world orbiting one of the closest stars in the neighbourhood.

Alien super earth planet dubbed Barnard’s Star b is thought to be 3.2 times the mass of the Earth, and one of the closest planets to the solar system ever found - located just six light years away.

Astronomer Jon Honti of the University of Southern Queensland said the findings push the boundaries of what’s possible with current technology.